UTA Film Professor Cannes Do It

Local professor's film getting worldwide recognition

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Ya'Ke Smith, a University of Texas at Arlington film professor, will be screening his short film Katrina's Son at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

“You know, Cannes is the biggest film festival in the world and to be screening there with films from like, all over the world, is an amazing experience," Smith said.

North Texas Director Goes To Cannes

A UTA professor's short film "Katrina's Son" will be screened at this year's Cannes Film Festival. (Published Wednesday, May 4, 2011)

Smith started writing the screenplay right after Hurricane Katrina. The storyline is about a young boy whose mother moves to San Antonio after the hurricane, leaving her son behind. The boy goes on a solo quest from New Orleans to San Antonio to find her.

Seven days of shooting was condensed into 15 minutes of film, and it's a moving 15 minutes that's leaving a mark on the world of film. So far, the film has been shown at more than 30 festivals and won 11 awards. It's even eligible for an Academy Award nomination next year, Smith said.

The Best of Cannes Movie Festival

"When you're young and you make films, you always say one day when I’m old and can barely move around I’ll get an Academy Award. But to be this young and already thinking about it, it's amazing," Smith said.

Smith was invited to come to the festival, but he had to decline. He's currently working on his next film project, titled Wolf.